TWICE leader and main vocalist Jihyo announced on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 that she has left JYP Entertainment, ending a relationship that began in 2005 when she joined the company as an eight-year-old after placing second in a child talent contest.

In a handwritten letter posted to Instagram, accompanied by archive footage of herself training and performing at JYP offices as a young child, she wrote: "After 21 years, my journey with JYP Entertainment, which began when I was just a child, has come to an end."

She added that "there were good days and difficult ones, but one thing I know for certain is that every one of those moments has shaped who I am today."

Alongside her departure, Jihyo confirmed she has founded her own independent agency, EMITHAUS, which Indulge Express describes as a one-person agency built to expand an artist's individuality and creative potential through music and other content.

The name draws on the verb "emit," meaning to express or release. "To me, independence is not so much a conclusion about the time that has passed, but a choice about how I want to live going forward," she wrote.

Korea JoongAng Daily reports the move came months after July speculation that Jihyo might leave as TWICE's contract renewal period approached; on July 28 she told fans on Bubble her heart felt heavy and asked them to trust whatever she chose.

Jihyo is reportedly the third TWICE member to formally part ways with JYP Entertainment, following groupmates Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung, according to philstar.com and pep.ph.

Philstar reports that Jeongyeon left in August and signed with Varo Entertainment, which handles her older sister Gong Seung-yeon, Byeon Woo-seok, Jin Goo and Lee Chae-min, while Chaeyoung established her own label, Lil Fantasy, borrowing the name from her debut album.

Resonate Voices adds that members Nayeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun and Tzuyu remain under individual representation with JYP as the full group coordinates upcoming international schedules — with Tzuyu's own renewal status the subject of ongoing rumors the pack's outlets have flagged.

The question fans asked first — does this mean leaving TWICE? — was answered directly in the letter.

"I also want to make it clear that this decision does not mean saying goodbye to the team I've been part of for so long," Jihyo wrote, calling the group "an irreplaceable part of my life" and vowing to "continue to stand on stage with my members and keep building more memories together for many years to come."

She also thanked the fandom ONCE for 11 years of support, saying that watching someone grow through so many stages of life and continuing to support them "is never something to be taken for granted."

Jihyo's break with JYP closes what Indulge Express calls one of the longest artist-agency relationships in K-pop: a decade as a trainee before debuting with TWICE in 2015, hits including "Cheer Up," "TT" and "What Is Love?", a 2022 group renewal that carried all nine members past the industry's so-called "seven-year curse," and a 2023 solo debut with the mini-album *Zone* led by "Killin' Me Good."

EMITHAUS says Jihyo will continue TWICE activities while pursuing her solo career, and the agency's press release describes the company as a place where she can "freely explore and bring to life even the possibilities within me that I have yet to discover."

Resonate Voices reads her move as part of an industry shift in which established idols manage personal pursuits externally while leaving collective operations with their original company.